to "remember the political importance
of religion but keep clear of it, so far as you can." The best
commentary is the statement in the _Analects_ that he seldom spoke
about the will of Heaven, yet such of his utterances about it as have
been preserved are full of awe and submission.[563] A certain delicacy
made him unwilling to define or discuss the things for which he felt
the highest reverence, and a similar detached but respectful attitude
is still a living constituent of Chinese society. The scholar and
gentleman will not engage in theological or metaphysical disputes, but
he respectfully takes part in ceremonies performed in honour of such
venerated names as Heaven, Earth and Confucius himself. Less
willingly, but still without remonstrance, he attends Buddhist or
Taoist celebrations.

If it is hard to define the religious element in Confucianism, it is
still harder to define Taoism, but for another reason, namely, that
the word has more than one meaning. In one sense it is the old popular
religion of China, of which Confucius selected the scholarly and
gentlemanly features. Taoism, on the contrary, rejected no godlings
and no legends however grotesque: it gave its approval to the most
extravagant and material superstitions, especially to the belief that
physical immortality could be insured by drinking an elixir, which
proved fatal to many illustrious dupes. As an organized body it owes
its origin to Chang-Ling _(c._ 130 A.D.) and his grandson
Chang-Lu.[564] The sect received its baptism of blood but made terms
with the Chinese Government, one condition being that a member of the
house of Chang should be recognized as its hereditary Patriarch or
Pope.[565] Rivalry with Buddhism also contributed to give Taoism
something of that consistency in doctrine and discipline which we
associate with the word religion, for in their desire to show that
they were as good as their opponents the Taoists copied them in
numerous and important particulars, for instance triads of deities,
sacred books and monastic institutions.

The power of inventive imitation is characteristic of Taoism.[566] In
most countries great gods are children of the popular mind. After long
gestation and infancy they emerge as deities bound to humanity by a
thousand ties of blood and place. But the Taoists, whenever they
thought a new deity needful or ornamental, simply invented him, often
with the sanction of an Imperial Edict. Thus Yu-Ti,[567] the prec